Capital Offence

Chapter 27

Wednesday 12th June

14 days left

 

Vaila started the day in the National Library on George IV Bridge going through all the newspapers she could find on microfiche which had accounts of the trial. Before she saw Dave she wanted to get as much of the detail fixed in her mind as she could. I particular she copied down notes on everything he had said in court about his reasons for being in the Cassidy house, and the drug deals which were meant to be going on.

After a couple of hours her mobile phone vibrated. Thank God she’d remembered to switch off the ring! She plugged in the little earpiece on its thin black wire and whispered into the microphone. It was her horny gentleman farmer friend.

“Look I’m sorry Sandy - this isn’t a good time. I’m in the library. Don’t laugh. Yeah yeah. Maybe there’a side to me you don’t know. Or maybe I’m turning over a new leaf. I’ll call you. Soon...”

Vaila hit the red button. She wasn’t sure she would be calling too soon. Something seemed to be shifting focus in her web of relationships. She couldn’t pin it down. Or wouldn’t. It was starting to bother her. She was used to taking the initiative, and it pissed her off when she felt she wasn’t in control of her own feelings. She picked up her notes and headed out to the street. Time to see Dave.

*      *      *

 Vaila was told to stay in the prison waiting room as the other visitors were shown through to the meeting area. There they would take their places at glass screens, mums and kids trying to communicate in the presence of others, intimacy destroyed in a futile attempt to prevent the transfer of drugs.

Vaila was taken to a private room. Dave, or Stuart Pearson as he was still known there, was no ordinary prisoner.

Vaila was still shocked by the news of Patsy Flanagan’s death in that morning’s paper. It would seem that it had taken place within less than an hour of her own visit. Dave hadn’t heard. And they were both painfully conscious that their conversation would be recorded somehow. The room would almost certainly be bugged.

“Have you seen the papers today, or heard the radio?”

“No.”

“There was a girl murdered.”

A pause, as Dave waited to find out what this was leading to. Vaila continued.

“Somebody called Patsy Flanagan.”

Dave’s mouth dropped open. He remained silent, trying to rehearse what it was safe to say. At last.... “That’s terrible. Patsy...”

Damn right it was. That was his best chance of getting his own case reopened. Shot down in flames. This was a total, unmitigated disaster. Yes, he was sad for the girl, yes he was shocked too - he’d liked her, after a fashion - but from his own point of view - why did she have to do this! Couldn’t she just have taken a bit more care of herself?

He composed himself, and thought out how to phrase his next question.

“Did you see the person you were planning to? Before, um...”

“Yes.” (Yes, I must have been the last person to speak to her before her killer.)

“What did they say?”

“They confirmed they knew the man you told me about. I didn’t really get much out of - them. But they said that the man you mentioned was into politics.”

“Really?” Dave was genuinely surprised by this one. “He never let on to me. It’s not really his style.”

“ It seemed like he had a real obsession about the guy who’s trying to help you.” (Your brother, the Prime Minister - all the words I can’t say in here.)

“What?”

“She just said - shit - they just said that the man you know had a thing about our mutual friend. Like, maybe, an ‘anti’ thing. Dave, had you done any other jobs for him before this?”

“A few.”

“Over a long period of time?”

“Not really. A few months. It was just wee things. It built up. He seemed keen to give me the odd job. Tell you something else didn’t come out in the trial. Her that was killed - she was in it up to her eyes. She was storing stuff, shifting packages. Innocent victim! That’ll be right. I mean, she didn’t deserve what she got, and the kids and all, but she wasn’t the poor wee angel the press made out.”

“Why didn’t you say that in court?”

“I said I was there to pick up a stash, but nobody believed me. And the lawyers said not to say a word against the dead woman. They said it would backfire... If I’d said she was a dealer, that she’d not paid for the last lot, that I was there to get it back... At least that was what I was told. But now I don’t know what to believe.”

Dave looked very thoughtful. “But I didn’t know thingmy was bothered about my, em, our ah friend. He’ll have been pleased at how this has worked out, then. Specially if it gets messy for our friend. I wonder how many others will be pleased?”

“What do you mean?”

Dave banged his knuckles against his forehead, several times. “I’ve always thought this was just about me - that our friend got dragged in by accident. But I’m starting to wonder...”

“Don’t get paranoid.”

“Give me one good reason why not.”

“But conspiracies and stuff...”

“The more powerful you become, the more enemies you collect along the way.”

“But not to this extent.”

“How do I know? How do I know what anybody wants out of this? How can I believe him when he says he’s trying to help? I’m just meant to keep my mouth shut and hope he’s telling me the truth. That takes some bloody effort of willpower. Because one day soon I might just wake up and find it’s too late, that he’s just been stringing me along to keep me quiet.”

“That’s nonsense, and you know it!”

“How come? He let me take the blame once before, or had you forgotten? And he dumped you pretty damn fast when you didn’t fit in with the new lifestyle.”

Vaila blushed. “We drifted apart.”

“You didn’t tell it that way at the time. Seem to remember you were pretty hacked off.”

“That’s rubbish! I had lots of others...”

“How can I believe you? I mean, for that matter, how can I believe you’re trying to help?”

Vaila’s voice rose, as she fought back her anger. “How dare you! Why the hell would I be sitting here in this dump? How can you even suggest...!”

“So why are you? How do I know that this isn’t some way of getting back at him? Maybe you really want things to screw up so that you can get your own back on him - the man who thought you were just too tacky for his posh new mates!”

“Fuck you Dave! You have no right!”

“So? Maybe it’s true, eh? How can I trust either of you?”

“You’ll have to! Because you try to pull something stupid and it’ll screw up everything!”

“Just tell me this. Do you totally trust him?”

“I don’t have to. I’ll make sure he can’t dump on either of us.”

“How?”

“Just wait...”